Understanding IDEA and Special Education

According to IDEA, in order for a student to be considered as having a specific learning disability, the student must show a deficiency in one or more of eight eligibility criteria areas, basic reading skills, reading fluency, reading comprehension, mathematical problem solving, mathematic calculations, oral expression, listening comprehension. Which of the following completes the list of eligibility criteria?

• Spelling

• Working memory

• Processing skills

• Written expression

Which of the following is a requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

• Following initial placement, a student's parents/guardians may designate specific educational staff to serve as participants in their child's special education program

• No single assessment procedure can be used as the sole criterion in determining an appropriate IEP for a student

• Before a student is given a formal, initial evaluation, the school must inform the parents/guardians of their rights to view and evaluate assessment instruments and criteria

• An IEP written for a student with disabilities must be reviewed and updated at least twice each school year

An Admission Review Dismissal (ARD) meeting has been scheduled for Bobby at 9:00 am today. Bobby's guardian shows up with an uninvited guest. According to IDEA, what is the appropriate action for the ARD team to take?

• The ARD team should be allowed to meet as scheduled

• The ARD meeting should be rescheduled and an invitation send the uninvited guest

• If the uninvited guest is a lawyer, the meeting should be postponed until the district's lawyer can be contacted

• The guardian should be informed that only participants invited by the district are allowed at the ARD meeting

A general education teacher, Ms. Garza is concerned about a student's progress in her class. She approaches a special education teacher, Mr. Yoder for help. Which of the following is the most important first step for Mr. Yoder to take to find an effective intervention?

• Asking Ms. Garza a series of questions to clarify the problem completely

• Researching various interventions to find one that has been proven useful

• Talking to other teachers about the student's progress in their classes

• Screening the student for additional disabilities that might be problematic

In relation to special education evaluations, use of a developmental explanation of behavior is most likely to include an emphasis on which of the following ideas?

• Because every child is an individual, it is impossible to make meaningful generalizations about "normal" or "typical" patterns of development

• Quantitative measures are generally more accurate and useful than qualitative measures in characterizing a child's development

• Biological, psychological, and social factors can be expected to interact continuously to shape and modify a child's development

• Broad demographic variables (e.g. age, gender, ethnicity) have far less influence on a child's development than do individual variables

A special educator and a general educator are assigned to co-teach in a third-grade classroom. The general educator plans the lessons and gives the special educator a copy at the start of each week. Which of the following would be the most effective way to encourage more collaboration between these two teachers?

• Scheduling a common period to discuss and plan lessons that meet the student's needs

• Taking turns each week teaching lessons on the basis of teacher's expertise

• Encouraging the entire faculty to attend staff development workshops related to inclusion

• Agreeing to pull out of the students who receive special education services for a certain amount of time each week to work on individual goals

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is developed with the active involvement of team members and

• Offers measures to be used in assessing the program's success

• Includes a log where the student may track his or her progress regularly

• Describes a useful interest-based assessment process

• Includes only long-term objectives and strategies

Danielle is a fifth grader receiving special education services as a student with an emotional disturbance (ED). She is having difficulty paying attention, content assessments and following classroom rules. She often has emotional outbursts in class. Danielle attends the behavior management center (BMC) as needed for emotional support. The teacher has set up a conference to discuss the difficulties Danielle is having in conferencing with Danielle's father. Which of the following is most important for the teacher to do?

• Suggest that home support become a priority in the family's schedule and offer some helpful strategies

• Provide him with a means of reaching Danielle's teacher at school, plus study guides in all subjects so he can help Danielle prepare for tests

• Ask about Danielle's sleep patterns and current medication because her behavior involves emotional and academic issues

• Share some of Danielle's positive attributes before discussing her academic and behavior difficulties

Mr. Moore, a special education teacher who teaches a class with multiple disabilities, has been told by Ms. Hendricks, the principal, that she is assigning Jennifer to his class effective immediately. Jennifer was failing in the general education program with special education support. Ms. Hendricks has asked Mr. Moore to write up a new Individualized Education Program (IEP) within the week. Which of the following statements is true about Jennifer's educational placement?

• A change in educational placement can be made only by Jennifer's Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee.

• A student who has learning disabilities cannot legally be placed in a self-contained class.

• The placement is appropriate since the IEP Mr. Moore develops is considered a draft.

• Jennifer's parents have no legal complaint because she was failing in the general education setting.

A fifth-grade special education teacher will participate in several Administration Review Dismissal (ARD) meetings for fifth-grade students who are transitioning to middle school. She will bring samples of student work, behavior checklists, data collection sheets, and state assessment information. How will this information be used during the meetings?

• To reveal the students' progress over the past year and help determine the least restrictive environment for the next school year.

• To determine if the students will continue to qualify for special education services in middle school.

• To show the parents how their child compares with other students in her class.

• To diagnose additional learning and behavior difficulties.